Road making



J. J. DYER March 15, 1932.

ROAD MAKING Filed April 19. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet QNI March 15, 1932. Yg-1,849,421

ROAD MAKING A Filed April 19, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 9/ 5 MQ-M PatentedMar. 15, 1932 v UNITED. STATES JAMES J. DYER, OF MOUNT PATENT OFFICE;

LEBANON TOWNSHIP, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA; x

v ROAD MAKING Application filed April 19,

This invention relates generally to road making and particularly toprecast curbing units for roads.

In making country roads of concrete it has heretofore been customary topour the concrete road bed andthereafter to'fill in the-borders or bermof the road with gravel or other filling material. This practice hasseveral disadvantages. The machinery used in excavating and laying roadsis necessarily heavy. After a portion of a concrete road some other paththan over the concrete. This often necessitates moving a long detour.

Another disadvantage of methods'at present in common use is that theyrequire the use of heavy steel forms. The forms are laid along the edgesof the road and the road bed is then poured- After the road bed has setthe forms must be removed for further use. The forms are heavy andrequire a good deal of labor in placing and removing them. Furthermore,they are relatively expensive.

These disadvantages are overcome by my invention in which the curbingunits are first laid, and the small amount of berm required is filled inand the main road bed is then laid. The laying of the main road bedcompletes the road making operation. The precast curbing units arepreferably made of vitrified clay, but they may if desired be made ofother material such as'concrete. The units are made hollow and areprovided with means for interlocking adja-' cent units to maintain themin alinement. In a modified form of the invention, the ends of the unitsare closed so as to prevent access of moisture thereto. The units areprovided with means for tying them to the road material. .In theaccompanying drawings which the machinery by 1929. semrnd. 356,353.

illustrate several preferred embodiments of my invention Figure 1 is .across-section of the road,

showing the precast units in place,

Figure 2 isa perspective view of one of the units, v 1

Figure 3 is a, plan viewof one of the units, Figure 4 is a section'onthe line IVIV ofFigure 3.

'Fig'ure dis a. cross-section through two units showing the means'oflocking themf f or maintaining themin alinement.

Figure 6 is similarto Figure l butshowing a modified figure of the unit.

Figure .7 is a sectional viewoffadjacent units having their ends closedinorder to prevent access of moisture. l

Figure 8 is a View similar to Figures 1 and 6 but showing anothermodified unit, and" Figure 9 is a cross-section of a furthermodification.

Referring'to Figures 1 to 5, there is shown a road having a bottom layer2 of earth, and

a top layer 3 of concrete. Precast vitrified clay units A form the sideedges of the road.

The-units A are hollow and are of general rectangular shape. Each unithastop and bottom walls 4 and5, inner and outer side walls'6 and 7 andintermediate partitions 8.

The lower part of'the innerside wall- 6 is formed in a step 9 which whenthe unit is used 7 in a road, extends under aportion of the concrete 3.The-bottom wall 5 of the unit is provided with ribs 10extendinglongitudinally-thereof. Similar ribs 11 and 12 are pro-.- videdon the-top surface of the step 9and on the inner side wall 6'; Theseribs are'dovetailed so that when the concrete is poured they securelytie the units to the concrete 0f;the

the units in alinem ent. As shown in Figures 1 3 and 4 holes .15 areprovided inthe step 9.

for the reception of spikes which :when inserted into the hole anddriven into the earth fix theunits in position. The top' wall 4 of theunit slopes, generally downwardly and outwardly, butthe inner edge 16 ofthe top surface is leveled so as to form a flat surface for the wheelsof the finishing machine to run on.

In using the units, they are first laid and interlocked by inserting theprojections 13 into openings ll, the berm 17 is then filled in andthereafter the concrete is poured to form the main body of the road. Theribs 11 and 12 interlock the units with the concrete.

The modified form of unit B shown in Figure 6 is similar to the unit Aexcept that a step is not formed on the inner surface of the unit to tiethe unit to the road making material. Parts of the unit corresponding toparts previously described are indicated by the same numerals with bsufiixed thereto.

In Figure 7 the ends of the units C are closed by walls 20 which preventaccess of moisture to the interior of the units. The construction of theunits is otherwise similar to the units A and B. This type of unit is ofadvantage-where it is likely that Water step and on theupper part of theinner wall of the unit for tying the unit to the road mate rial, theinner portion of the top surface of theunit being level, so asto supportthe wheels of a finishing machine, the remaining portion of the topsurface of the unit sloping form the berm of a" road. In testimonywhereof I have hereunto set myhand. v

, JAMES J. DYER seeping into the units will freeze and crack them.

layer 23. Bricks 24 are layed on the finishing layer 23. The units aretied to the lower 7 layer 22 of concrete by the step and ribs 11d and1265 as previously described. I

' The unit E shown in Figure 9 is similar to the unit shown in Figure 8with the exception that it does not have a step provided on the innersurface of the unit for tying the unit and the concrete road bedtogether.

All'of the units, with the exception of those havingtheir ends closed asillustrated in Figure 7, are adapted for receiving conduits such aselectrical conduits thereby avoiding the necessity of using poles whichpresent" an unsightly appearance.

In addition to the advantages already pointed out, the use of precastcurbing units in accordance with my invention provides a road theborders of which form smooth surfaces in case the wheels of the'vehiclego as the concrete road bed.

I have illustrated and described several preferred embodiments of myinvention. It

-is to he understood however that the invention may be otherwiseembodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim: I

1. A preformed hollow curbing unit having the lower part of its innerwall offset inwardly to form a step, ribs extending longitudinally ofthe unit on the upper face of downwardly and outwardly to adapt it tothe step for tying the unit to the road'mate- 4

